Tom Watson misses Masters cut a day after his historic round

As the cheers and applause poured out the gallery, Tom Watson walked briskly up the fairway to the 18th green on Friday afternoon. He looked toward his right, nodded toward the fans lining the green, and then inspected his own precarious situation here on the final hole at Augusta National.

One day after what completing what he termed a “minor miracle” in the first round, Watson was in the sand. The miracles, it seemed, did not last another day at the Masters.

Watson played out the hole and scored a triple bogey, finishing off a 9-over 81. In the moments after the round, Watson smiled at the gallery, soaked in another standing ovation, and walked toward the clubhouse, his Masters over.

“It’s like a furnace,” Watson would say. “Some days it’s hot, some days it’s cold.”

Watson, 65, and playing in his 42nd Masters, had stirred up Augusta National on Thursday, shooting a 71. It was, in simple terms, a masterful feat. Watson became the oldest man ever to shoot under par at the Masters, and more history was in his grasp. If he stayed around even par for one more day, he would become the oldest man ever to make the cut here in Augusta.

In the moments after Thursday’s round, Watson said he was not fooling himself. On most days, he said, Augusta National is too long for him. There are few holes that he can birdie. On many of the longer Par-4s, he is simply looking for a way to scramble and make par.

On Friday, reality beat down the storybook idea of a 65-year-old making the Masters cut. Watson finished the tournament at 8-over par, well off the 2-over cut line and 22 strokes behind leader Jordan Spieth.

“That was the high,” Watson said of Thursday. “The low was today, the way I played. I just didn’t perform today. I didn’t drive like I did yesterday. I didn’t putt like I did yesterday.”

For Watson, the disappointment started on the first hole. Standing over a 6-foot par putt, Watson slid the putt past the hole. He scored a bogey and shot 4-over 40 on the front nine. On Thursday, Watson managed four birdies, including a chip-in from the sand on No. 10. On Friday, he bogeyed the 10th hole and spent most of his day in poor position while battling some erratic driving off the tee.

“I pulled hooked a lot of drives and I didn’t putt well today,” Watson said. “It’s kind of typical.”

Watson, who will be 66 later this year, told The Star before the tournament that this would not be his final Masters. He missed the cut for the fifth straight year, but with a lifetime exemption as a result of two Masters victories, Watson expects to be back next year.

In the moments after his round, Watson stood near the Augusta clubhouse and reflected on his two days here. At this stage in his career, playing at Augusta National can feel like swinging a golf club also balancing on a tightrope. There is little margin for error. On Thursday, Watson managed to stay in control. One day later, the course won out.

“I didn’t keep the ball in play off the tee,” Watson said. “I didn’t make the putts that I did yesterday. And that was difference. I don’t go around here making a lot of birdies. I can’t make a lot of birdies, except on the Par-5, and I messed them up as well.”

Woodland misses cut — Gary Woodland was one putt away from surviving the cut at the Masters. If he would have sunk a medium-length par putt at the 18th hole, he would have sat at 2-over par for the tournament and stuck around for the weekend.

But after the putt missed, Woodland didn’t want to dwell on one mistake.

“Eighteen has nothing to do with it,” said Woodland, the Kansas grad and Topeka native. “I just didn’t play well. That’s the last hole I played. But I didn’t give myself a chance all day, the way I drove the golf ball.”

Woodland shot a 4-over 76 on Friday, dropping to 3-over for the tournament and missing the cut line by one stroke. He placed the blame on a consistently erratic performance by his driver.

“The golf course sets up good for me,” Woodland said. “The driver is what cost me this week. The 3-wood was great. I gave myself some good chances.”

For Woodland, the costliest mistake on Friday came when he splashed a nine-iron into the water on the Par-5 15th, resulting in a bogey on a hole in which he made birdie on Thursday. Woodland missed the cut for the first time in four Masters appearances.

“I’m not worried about cuts,” Woodland said. “I’m trying to win a golf tournament, and to not even have a chance is frustrating. The way I drove the golf ball, I don’t have a chance at all.”

Streb struggles — For all intents and purposes, Robert Streb’s first Masters was over on Thursday.

Streb, a K-State graduate, shot an 8-over 80 on Thursday, which meant he would need to go low on Friday to give himself a chance to make the cut. He went off early on Friday morning, and he did play better, shooting a 4-over 76. But at 12-over for the tournament, Streb was 9 strokes off the cut line.

It was a difficult Masters debut for Streb, who was also playing in his first major tournament. Just six golfers finished worse, including three amateurs and defending champions Mike Weir and Ben Crenshaw.

This story was originally published April 10, 2015 at 8:09 PM with the headline "Tom Watson misses Masters cut a day after his historic round."